Enter the Marching Band

[Manny A]

Originally Posted by EsqUmp

I'm glad to see that ESPN shows so much footage of illegal conduct in the dugout, as the players drum away on buckets with balls. ESPN "announcers" love it and the umpires do nothing. No wonder I have to hear this every weekend and then hear, "We do it every game. Everyone does it on tv." Maybe we can get a tuba player in the dugout for the next game.

And if they were drumming on buckets with, say, their water bottles or their street shoes or even drumsticks that they snuck in their bat bags, what's the difference? Is there an NCAA rule that prohibits this?

What is the purpose of rule 13.4.2 anyway? Is it to limit the noise factor out of the dugout? Or is it to minimize the possibility of softball equipment getting damaged during the game? I have a hard time believing it's the former, because I've heard girls chant and yell and make all sorts of noise out of the dugouts, and, quite frankly, I've always thought that was the norm in softball.

Or are we to limit this kind of noise using 5.11 on "Artificial Noisemakers"? What defines an artificial noisemaker anyway?

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by Manny A

And if they were drumming on buckets with, say, their water bottles or their street shoes or even drumsticks that they snuck in their bat bags, what's the difference? Is there an NCAA rule that prohibits this?

What is the purpose of rule 13.4.2 anyway? Is it to limit the noise factor out of the dugout? Or is it to minimize the possibility of softball equipment getting damaged during the game? I have a hard time believing it's the former, because I've heard girls chant and yell and make all sorts of noise out of the dugouts, and, quite frankly, I've always thought that was the norm in softball.

Or are we to limit this kind of noise using 5.11 on "Artificial Noisemakers"? What defines an artificial noisemaker anyway?

If someone's blowing a referee whistle, or blasting a tuba during a windup, etc - someone's going to say something and then we're going to address it. Chanting, pounding, screaming ... all normal.

[ASA Ump MN]

It's kind of amazing how much fun those girls are having in the dugouts before during and after the games!